A COLEFORD man has been rewarded for helping lymphatic cancer patients cope with the side effects of chemotherapy.

Adam Pearce, who is just 27 years-old, had Hodgkin lymphoma but is now in remission, and was nominated for sharing his experiences of ‘chemo brain’, in the charity’s magazine Lymphoma Matters.

‘Chemo brain’ or cancer-related cognitive impairment means a change in your thinking processes, such as difficulty with concentrating or with remembering things.

It is thought to happen for a variety of reasons, including the cancer itself, the effects of the treatments on the body and the upheaval of going through such a stressful life event as having cancer.

Adam received his Beacons of Hope award at the Lymphoma Association’s annual awards ceremony, held at the ZSL London Zoo, by host and former BBC Radio 4 presenter Alice Arnold.

A citation she read out at the awards said: “Adam has been nominated for his honesty, sharing his story and openly discussing personal difficulties to help others affected by lymphoma.

“He was suffering from ‘chemo brain’ and wanted to alert others to this difficult side effect. It was something he had not been aware of himself and it compromised his life dramatically after treatment.

“The Lymphoma Association has since received many phone calls from people saying how reassuring it had been to read about chemo brain, as many of them were worrying in silence.”

Jonathan Pearce, chief executive of the Lymphoma Association, added: “The Beacons of Hope awards are a chance for us to say thank you and to celebrate the achievements of people like Adam who make a real difference.”

Lymphoma is the UK’s fifth most common cancer and is also the most common cancer in under-30s.